diff --git a/shell/watcher.js b/shell/watcher.js
index c16d24e..4aee66b 100644
--- a/shell/watcher.js
+++ b/shell/watcher.js
@@ -7,12 +7,14 @@ const socketPath = '/tmp/oscar_watcher.sock';
 let progvars = {};
 
 // Remove the socket file if it already exists
-try {
-  fs.unlinkSync(socketPath);
-} catch (err) {
-  if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
-    console.error('Error removing existing socket file:', err);
-    process.exit(1);
+if (fs.existsSync( socketPath )) {
+  try {
+    fs.unlinkSync(socketPath);
+  } catch (err) {
+    if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
+      console.error('Error removing existing socket file:', err);
+      process.exit(1);
+    }
   }
 }